Flexible running edge for ski



April 4, 1956 N. s. GRIGGS 2,743,333

FLEXIBLE RUNNING EDGE FOR SKI Filed July ll, 1952 INVQNTOR. Nelson 6.111998 A'T'TURMEY United States Patent FLEXIBLE RUNNING EDGE FOR SKINelson S. Griggs, Northfield, Vt.

Application July 11, 1952, Serial No. 298,301

3 Claims. (Cl. 280-11.13)

The present invention relates to skis, and more particularly, toimproved running edges for skis.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to improve the wearing qualities ofskis in many ways. For example, relatively thick metallic strips havebeen applied to the edges of skis to prevent wear, such strips beingsecured to the skis by means of several dozen screws. After use of theskis for a time,.the screws loosen, and it is extremely diflicult andquite costly to properly re-secure the strips to the skis withoutimpairing their usefulness and proper functioning of the skis.

More recently, it has been proposed to reinforce the running edges ofskis by means of relatively thin metallic strips embedded in the body ofthe skis at each side thereof adjacent the running surface in a mannerso that only the thin edges thereof are exposed. These strips areadapted to be anchored in diagonally extending slots or recesses in thebody of the ski by means-of cement or adhesive, and additional fasteningmeans such as pins may be driven from the sides of the ski, through thestrips and into the body of the ski. In the actual use of skis soreinforced, it has been found that such a practically solid strip,although relatively thin, seriously alters the normal flexibility of theski whereby much of the ability of the skis to respond to the skill ofthe expert skier is lost.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to overcome theforegoing difiiculties in a simple and economical manner.

Another object is to provide a practical and reliable running edge forskis which increases their useful life without sacrificing their normalflexibility.

Another object is to provide such a running edge which is adapted toextend from substantially the tip of the ski to the trailing edgethereof. 7

Another object is to provide such a running edge which very closelyapproaches the natural flexibility of the skis at the point ofapplication thereto and at the same time strengthens the same.

A further object is to provide such a running edge which is suitable forapplication to skis of the leading brands of manufacture, as well as allother special designs.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects aregenerally accomplished by providing a running edge formed of asubstantially flat serrated metallic strip of spring steel, for example.Preferably, the strip has relatively deep and wide recesses spaced apartlengthwise along one side edge of the strip to provide tabs of a widthto anchor the same in the body of the ski and to provide narrow stripsections connecting adjacent tabs and being of approximately equal width2,743,113 Patented Apr. 24, 1956 and thickness whereby to facilitateflexing of the strip laterally in all directions with respect to thelongitudinal axis thereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a ski embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of one form ofrunning edge strip in accordance with the invention.

. Fig. 2a is a sectional view taken along the line 2a2a on Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of another form ofrunning edge strip in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating thecross-section of one form of ski construction in which the strip shownin etither Fig. 2 or Fig. 3 may be embodied.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 illustrating another form ofski construction.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of still another formof running edge strip in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating a skiconstruction embodying the strip shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1,there is shown a ski to which the present invention is applied. This skiis of a conventional shape, and consists of a body 10 having the usualcurved leading end 11 terminating in a tip or point 12 and having aslightly curved trailing end 14. As previously indicated herein, suchskis, if of modern manufacture, are provided with a metallic runningedge 15 at each side which is embedded in the body adjacent the runningsurface or underside of the body. The present invention contemplatesproviding a continuous metallic strip serving as a running edge whichmay extend from about the point A at the tip 12 to the point B at thevery end of the trailing end 14.

In Figs. 2 and 2a, one form of running edge 15 is partially shown whichcomprises a substantially flat metallic strip, for example, a springsteel strip. This strip is serrated, and, preferably has a series ofrelatively deep and wide recesses 16 spaced apart lengthwise along oneside edge of the strip to provide a series of tabs 17 of a sufiicientlength to anchor the same in the body of the ski and to provide narrowstrip sections 18 connecting adjacent tabs and being of approximatelyequal width and thickness whereby to facilitate flexing of the striplaterally in all directions with respect to the longitudinal axis orlength thereof. Certain of the tabs are formed with an aperture 19 abouthalfway between the side edges of the strip. Preferably, the tabs,recesses and apertures are formed while the strip is soft, and the stripthereafter is tempered to render it springlike.

In a practical embodiment of the present invention, the strip may havethe following approximate dimensions, all given in inches: I

Width of strip W .2500 Thickness of strip T (19 gauge) .0420 Depth ofrecesses D .1875 Length of recesses L1 .1000 Height of tabs H .1875Length of tabs L2 .2000 Length of sections l .1000 Width of sections w.0625 Diameter of apertures 19 .0938 Spacing between apertures 19 1.2500

These dimensions are given by way of example, 'and' 3 it" is notintended to'limit the present invention thereto in any manner. Forexample, the tabs and recesses could be of equal length, but notexceeding the width of the strip.

In effect; the strip-is alength of rectangular, almostsquare (Fig-2a),spring-wire constituting the running edge per se and being provided withtabs for securing the wire to the body of the ski. 3

In' Fig. 3, another form of running edge is partially shown which isidentical to that shownin Fig. 2, except that narrow sheared slitsextend from the apertures to the side edge 21 opposite the side edge ofthe strip in which the serrations are'formed. In this manner, provisionis made for ultimate ski flexibility to allow for elongation, inaccordion fashion, and stretch of the ski dueto tension withoutsacrificing, in effect, thecontinuityof a solid running edgeconstruction.

In Fig. 4, a Head type ski construction is illustrated embodying arunning edge 15 which may be in accordance with that shown in eitherFig. 2 or Fig. 3.

In Fig. 5, another type of ski construction is illustrated comprising awooden body 10 having a slot or recess therein ateach side adjacent theunderside which extends from the tip to the trailing end. An edge strip15, which may be in accordance with that shown in either Fig. 2 or Fig.3, is mounted therein with the tabs 17' secured by means of suitableadhesive and the edge 21- is exposed to provide the running edge. Acover strip 22, for example a woven fiber glass tape, is adhered to theunderside of the edge strip 15 to prevent the recesses 16- from beingcompletely filled with a mass of adhesive 24" whichfillsthe bottom-ofthe slot, and a plastic running surface member or sole 25 is adhered tothe underside of' the ski body with itsouter edge in contact with theedge 21 of the running edge strip.

In Fig; 6, still another form of running edge strip 15 is illustratedwhich may be identical to the strip illustratedin either Fig. 2 or Fig.3, except that the tabs 17are bent at an angle of with respect to thehorizontal, as viewed in Fig. 7, when the strip is applied to a ski.This form of strip provides a running edge at the side edges and theunderside of the ski.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the presentinvention provides an improved ski by rea son of the novel running edgeconstruction. This edge has extreme flexibility, conforms to the contourof the ski without building up stresses, and is readily embedded in theski body without the need for jigs or fixtures. The serrations allow forflexibility at any angle of deflection, in fact, a torsional twist canbe accomplished with seemingly equal ease. The center-to-center spacingbetween serrations allows the adhesive to absorb the compressive forcesdeveloped in the wood which otherwise would shear the tabs away at theadhesive line or curb the flexular freedornof the strip. The effectivecontinuous solid running, edge will not permit the ski bottom to stretchor elongate, particularly at the zones closely adjacent the edge. Thisis considered an outstanding advantage, particularly in wooden skiconstructions, because wooden fibers will withstand much less tensionthan compression. Therefore, unless these forces are restrained,diverted or absorbed in compression in the course of drastic bending ofthe ski, as in normal usage, a fracture would otherwise start withfiberfailure at some point on the ski bottom. In the ultimate, a longerlasting, more durable and better controllable ski is provided by theimprovements in accordance with the present invention, and theseadvantages are attained in a simple, practical and economical manner.

As various changes may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, itis to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted asillustrative and not in any limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A ski comprising a body portion having a running surface and a recessat each side thereof adjacent said running surface and inclined withrespect thereto and extending substantially from the tip of the ski tothe trailing end thereof; a running edge element in each of saidrecesses extending from end to end thereof and inclined with respect tosaid running surface, each of said edge elements consisting of a unitaryspring steel strip of substantially uniform thickness throughout thelength and width thereof having transverse recesses spaced equidistantlyapart lengthwise along one side edge of said strip to define transversetabs and alternate lengthwise extending connecting sections at the otherside edge of said strip, said tabs having a greater maximum lengthwiseextending dimension than said sections as measured between two adjacentsections but not exceed ing the width of said strip and said sectionshaving a transverse width about equal to the thickness of said stripwhereby to facilitate flexing of said strip laterally in all directionswith respect to the longitudinal axis thereof, said tabs being disposedin said ski body recesses and said sections being exposed at thesides ofsaid ski body; and means for adhesively bonding said tabs in said skibody recesses to integrally secure said edge elements to said skid bodyportion.

2. A skicomprising a body portion having a running surface and a recessat each side thereof adjacent said running surface and inclined withrespect thereto and extending substantially from the tip of the ski tothe trailing end thereof; a running edge element in each of saidrecesses extending from end to end thereof and inclined with respect tosaid running surface, each of said edge elements consisting of a unitaryspring steel strip of substantially uniform thickness throughout thelength and width thereof having transverse recesses spaced equidistantlyapart lengthwise along one side edge of said strip and converging fromsaid side edge to define serrate tabs and alternate'lengthwise extendingconnecting sections at the other side edge of said strip, said lastmentioned recesses and said tabs having about equal lengthwise extendingdimensions at the side edge of said strip in which said recesses areformed, said dimensions not exceeding the width of said strip, and saidsections having a transverse width about equal to the thickness of saidstrip whereby to facilitate flexing of said strip laterally in alldirections with respect to-the longitudinal axis thereof, said tabsbeing disposed in said ski body recesses and said sections being exposedat the sides of said ski body; and means for adhesively bonding saidtabs in said ski body recesses to integrally secure said edge elementsto said ski body portion.

3.. A ski comprising a body portion having a running surface and arecess at each side thereof adjacent said running surface and inclinedwith respect thereto and extending substantially from the tip of the skito the trailing end thereof; a running edge element in each of saidrecesses extending from end to end thereof and inclined with respect tosaid running surface, each of said edge elements consisting of a unitaryspring steel strip of substantially uniform thickness throughout thelength and width thereof having a multitude of transverse recessesspaced equidistantly apart lengthwise along one side edge of said stripto define regularly spaced transverse tabs and alternate lengthwiseextending connecting sections at the other side edge of said strip, saidlast mentioned recesses and said tabs having maximum lengthwiseextending dimensions not exceeding the width of said strip and saidsections having a transverse width about equal to the thickness of saidstrip whereby to facilitate flexing of said strip laterally in alldirections with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof, said tabsbeing disposed in said ski body recesses and said sections extendingpartially outwardly of said ski body recesses;

and means for adhesively bonding said tabs in said ski.

5 6 body recesses to integrally secure said edge elements to 964,698France Feb. 1, 1950 said ski body portion. 687,895 Germany Feb. 8, 1940203,459 Switzerland June 16, 1939 References Cited in the file of thispatent 226,469 Switzerland July 16, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 95,128Sweden Mar. 21, 1939 26,1 2 Suits Aug. 9, 1938 OTHER REFERENCES2,470,227 Wheeler 1 1949 Modern Plastics, November 1950, pp. 82 and 83,Ski- FOREIGN PATENTS ing on Plastics 766,087 France Apr. 9, 1934 784,548France Apr. 29, 1935

